Well there's your problem! You've got a plumber stuck in your internet tubes. Also, your interociter is fried.
Yesterday over on Hooniverse, Rob did an awesome article on changing your own oil. It’s one of those things I just assumed that all of us would have done a thousand times already, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was probably not the case. With the way cars are designed nowadays, it’s almost reached the point where there’s not a whole lot of point in having the hood user-accessible.
This made me realize that in many cases, computers are designed the same way. If there’s a problem, the expectation is that you’ll just call a professional and have them fix it for you. (Or, in my case, if I run into something I can’t remember, call Techie and make him fix it for me.) But there are still a small minority of us — myself included — who actually enjoy tinkering around with these things. Cracking open the case and muddling around in there with a screwdriver and a rubber mallet is kind of enjoyable — and somewhat cathartic when it’s been giving you problems.
What’s your level of involvement: do you throw up your hands and call in a pro, or muddle about yourself until you’ve broken it further? How much of your own work will you do on your personal computer?
With the help of a friend, I did assembly my last desktop PC about 10 years ago. It went much easier than I thought. I'm not afraid to change my own hard drive or add memory, but much past that I get lost.
Lately, when something breaks on the computer, that is the perfect justification to the wife to get a new one! "It just isn't worth fixing this old thing."
The first time I assembled a PC my friend described it this way "You look like you are holding a stick of dynamite". Now I can take a PC, laptop or server apart without blinking an eye
The first time you crack a CPU in is a bit of an "Oh shit, that didn't sound good" moment for most people I know.
Yeah I've done that a few times Processor glue doesn't like coming loose
I'm just saying when you pop it in and the board gives you all sorts of cracking and snapping sounds.
My home computer is a laptop, so there is very little that I can tinker with, hardware wise (even the battery is built in). Not that I need to tinker: I bought a near top of the line model even splurging for the solid state drive. There is really no room for upgrades. If it fails in catastrophic way, I will probably get professional help.
At work, I've built several test computers (unlike main "production" machines those are not supported by IT). I've done every possible hack from running mother boards outside of cases to (briefly) testing processors without heat sinks. As an aside, If you don't need too much processing power, an Atom based computer can be bought for about $200. On the software front, I used these machines to test custom build of Linux that were ultimately destined to run in custom set top boxes.
In general, when something breaks or is approaching the breaking point, my first reflex is to see what it would take to fix it myself (is it screwed together is the first question). Coincidently, our toaster has been, on occasion, popping too early recently. I'm quite sure it is put together using screws so I will have a go at "fixing" it. If that fails, my wife reminded me that we have some money left on a gift card from B^3 (Bed Bath & Beyond).
I've built my own computers from components a number of times. One very special one was built from the weirdest components I could find. I was running an 800MHz Cyrix CX processor in a BioStar mini ATX motherboard with an XGI Volari V3 graphics card from Chaintech. It also had a Pinnacle Systems VGA composite capture card and a set of internal speakers that mounted in a 5-1/4" inch bay. I used an AOpen mATX mid-tower case that MicroCenter had on sale for next to nothing.
Amazingly, it ran quite trouble-free for many years, both under Win98SE and XP.
I also soldered the analog board on both a Mac Plus and an SE/30 to get a few more years out of them, and upgraded the RAM and CPU in my current dual-boot Intel Mac Mini.
You could have saved yourself a lot of time and gotten the MX instead of the CX. It would have had a built in graphics chip. Also I think i think i might still have one of those Pinnacle cards lying around
Correction, it was a Cyrix C3, not CX.
Fumblefingers.
The power offered by Cyrix chips was always comparable to the UN's condemnation of the second Iraq War, though. If you were building two pallets of dirt-cheap word-processing machines for an office or power consumption was (for whatever reason) a main priority, there you were, but most average users would've been better off with an AMD Duron, at least.
Of course, Tanshanomi's goal was to be as obtuse as possible, and damn it, he succeeded.
The feat here is that it ran 98 trouble free.
I have no interest in working on computers whatsoever. Sometimes I'm tempted to throw out a laptop just because there's too much sandwich in the keyboard.
I'm with you. i've only owned two computers in my life. The first one was free provided by my employer. It was a total piece of crap but I nursed it along for 10 years or so until Windows 95 wouldn't load anymore. I replaced it with a $375 laptop from Best Buy. Aside from a lingering "Win 7 Antispyware" issue, I couldn't be happier with it. I actually hope it breaks so I can pitch it and get a new one.
Unless I know exactly what's present on the hard drive and what processes are running in the background of my computer, I can't stand to use it. With every factory-built computer I've ever owned, I immediately had "lift the hood," virtually speaking, to rip a bunch of stuff out of the OS "engine bay."
When you scrath0-build your own, you KNOW what is eating up your drive space and CPU cycles. I like that.
Agreed. Can't give up the control
I wish I knew enough to do that. I do go through and delete things I don"t need but I'm sure I'm just scratching the surface.
I learned all that stuff but half-way through that process I decided that I was going to push computers into the dishwasher/microwave/refrigerator category of things-I-smash-my-toes-on-but-generally-ignore category.
Canadians have floor microwaves?
Oh, oilfield money!
Just keep driving that V-8, my friend!
Please let me know when your ash tray gets nearly full. I might want your car when you get ready to throw it away.
Nah. It's an RX8. You don't want a hand-me-down rotary.
I've built my own towers, some for friends and family. I now own a laptop and won't touch it.
Yeah, I've built several towers too, but I've actually opened up a couple of laptops ti fix some simple stuff, like replacing cooling fans and hard drives. Except for peripheral cards, those are about the only things that aren't soldered into place, and that's where I draw the line.
I am what you call a trained professional.The mystical magical support person. Although I build my own PC's I tend to use prebuilt ones because they have warranties. I am the person that everyone else calls for PC issues from family members to friends. Sitting in my wallet is my A+ certification from 1998
My first homebuilt PC was a AMD 486-133mhz. Now I am teaching my kids how to build them.
<img src="http://www.funwithfilms.com/images/this-island-earth1.jpg" width=600 />
"Get me the tallest forehead you have!"
I don't know what your talking about. He looks normal to me.
He's talking about Larry Tate, not Kramer.
Now I am wondering what sort of conversation Larry Tate and Kramer would have.
My computers have generally been reliable enough (knock on wood) to not require servicing, though I have on occasion added RAM and audio cards on my older Macs. The only repair I've needed to make is to replace the power supply on my Powercomputing Powercenter 150.
A couple years ago, one of my wife's clients had a computer scrap recycling drive. I took my son down there and handed him a screwdriver and had him completely strip a desktop computer down to the enclosure, then explained to him the function of each of the components he had removed. It's much easier to teach when you don't have to worry about ever making it work.
We did salvage a Vista machine that was junked because it wouldn't communicate with the printer. I found the OS recovery discs and reinstalled the system, then ran all the patches. It has been running since last summer, and acts as the print server on our home network now.
Every time I need a new computer, I have to dredge up and reconstruct all the hardware knowledge I had in high school. This is becoming increasingly difficult and worthless. I did manage to put together the box before this one from almost-scratch (my brother sold me the motherboard with processor attached).
Thraxmire here (whee, stupid computer names) came to my door after I gave some money to the internet, it was really easy! And cheap!
When things go seriously wrong, I have a panic attack, then try to locate the source of the problem and replace it. This usually works. I know an A+ certified guy who helps me with symptoms, but I almost always do the work myself.
I figure once it's broken or not operating correctly, it can't get more broken. Dive in and if you succeed you have accomplished something. If not, you learn one more topic you don't know enough about.
I used to take that approach with my motorcycles. Results varied.
That's my philosophy for most things.
I pretty much do anything I possibly can to keep my computers/gadgets/house/car/life running well past it's intended useful life. The only reason I stopped using my older-than-dirt Dell C610 was that my parents upgraded all their systems and gave me their slightly-less-old Toshiba laptop. Both laptops have had suffered multiple hardware and software repairs. Some more successfully than others, but they both still run.
I still build all of my own desktops, although these days it would probably be cheaper to just buy a prebuilt. I just can't break the habit. Besides, I like knowing EXACTLY what is in my systems.
I used to build, but the last couple of times it's been cheaper to buy a pre-built when they go on sale. I wasn't able to get a couple of things I wanted on the motherboard, like USB 3.0 and 6 gig SATA, but it was worth it. I added a USB card and I have no SATA 6 drives anyway, so close enough.
As someone who has a tendency to adopt unwanted PC's and prefers Linux, I am squarely in the DIY camp.
My only problem with that philosophy has become a lack of purpose for all these machines. I have 3 or 4 perfectly workable Ubuntu and Fedora systems, on top of my current normal use desktop and my media server. I just don't know what else to do with them.
I fix 'em myself. I used to build 'em myself, until it got to the point where Dell could build it cheaper than I could.
About the only thing I don't work on is my old T41 laptop that I bought from work when they were upgrading them. Though, I did put Ubuntu on it and got that working.
Unless a hardware defect or eventual old age, my computers don't really have issues. See, I have what they call a magic touch. Some day you guys will catch up. Seriously, my troubleshooting is getting rusty because I never have to use it on my own.
/struts away
It's all that hair. It has to be.
Nope, doesn't make a good filament. Believe me.
It doesn't matter weather it's a car or computer, I've been building, breaking and fixing them since I was 14. I'm 36 now.
Yes, yes, here's a cookie. Young punk.
Really? Oatmeal prune cookies? Now I have seen everything.
No you haven't. Those aren't prunes, they're jalapenos. Bon appetit...
I think I might have to try that… It sounds delicious.
I
watchedhelped a friend build a computer back in 2004, my sophomore year of college. It was all decent parts, and it was my only computer until last summer. Software issues came and went, but none of the hardware ever failed, and $70 worth of USB 2.0 adapters and extra RAM kept it going for the last year, when it was starting to really show its age. Now, it has MythBuntu on it, just for tinkering and fun.When we replaced it, I priced out a Dell and an HP that would meet my needs, and then went to Newegg, Amazon, and Tiger Direct to see what it would cost to build a desktop to similar specs. Surprisingly, Amazon was the winner – better specs for $200 less than any pre-built machine. It helped that I got a student license for Win7 Pro, so that was only $40 instead of $200. I think that's the difference – if you run an OS you have to pay out the nose for, the price advantage of doing it yourself goes out the window.
Building your own computer is, in my mind, just like changing your own oil. You may be able to find someone else who will do it for you, at the same price you could do it (or less). But, you never know about the quality of the parts/labor they put in. Plus, for me there's a little bit of pride knowing I did it myself, and did it right.
I haven't changed my own oil in years. It's too much trouble for the sore back that results, plus I don't have a garage space anymore. My driveway is at a fair angle so I can't do it there without a hassle, and I'll be damned if I'll do it in the street. It only has to be changed once a year anyway, so I just have the dealership do it. If they screw it up, they have insurance, or they'd better have.
I'd rather swap out a video card or something.
Sounds like you've hit the "take it somewhere" trifecta – no garage, angled surface, and old. Were I in the same boat, I'd probably take it somewhere too.
It is more hassle to do it yourself either with cars or computers, there's no denying it. I'm just young and silly enough to get a lot of satisfaction out of it.
I am one of the professionals. If I cannot fix it and it's a software problem, there's nobody to call. (This is one of the reasons I run open source software without any support contracts, it's a waste of money for me to do otherwise.) If it's a hardware problem, I can generally isolate it pretty quickly, and then I know what to replace and who to send it to.
I've built all my tower computers since 1999, I've had a few different laptops. I've soldered modifications onto motherboards, debugged kernel modules and have done all my own work at pretty much every level of the system. I run Slackware Linux with a custom anti-desktop environment that is fast and has a minimal, powerful feature set. It's unusable for most people, and I love it.
Someday I hope to be as good with cars as I am with computers. Right now I'm kind of doing the reverse of JeepyJayHawk.
I can generally muddle through my own computer issues, but I don't enjoy it.
My home machine has been running like a dog for almost 4 months. I know i should reinstall the OS to get rid of all the unwanted crap eating my CPU time, but I just haven't gotten in the mood yet where the lack of performance annoys me more than the prospect of staring at windows installers for a few hours.
I build 'em from what I have around or manage to score a good deal on, do minor hardware modifications as needed or desired (replacing undersized chipset heatsinks or seized fans, for instance), install and configure the OS as I want it, and leave 'em alone, by and large, until something goes wrong.
I'm very much a hardware guy – my soldering skills are unexceptional, but I have a knack for envisioning and solving problems in the physical realm, and a good eye and mind for troubleshooting. When it comes to software, especially on Linux machines, I'm not afraid to ask for help, and often need to. I'm willing to attempt damn near anything, as that's what being largely self-taught entails.